Cornerbox
by D.D. Heal
Summary: When Rex receives a distress message, his investigation takes him to Cape Town and to an EVO who isn't quite what he appears to be.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

All Along the Watchtower

Everyone says the weather is nice once in a while. Well, that isn't the case if you're working for a government agency bent on solving the EVO problem in the streets of Liverpool. Providence throws a distraction, while I go in for the attack.

'Six, what's your status?' White Knight asked on the radio.

'Rex has the EVO pinned down. We're waiting for further orders,' Agent Six answered.

'Acknowledged,' he said.

Bobo then walks up Six and stands by him. 'So, this is the home to the Beatles. I'm sure I'm having a hard day's night,' he said.

'It'll be over soon,' Six said.

I soon cured the EVO and it reverted back to her normal self. 'What happened?' she asked.

'Trust me, you don't want to know,' I answered.

A Providence medic walks up to woman as I left her. 'Nice job with the EVO. Since we're finished early, we might as well kick back and explore the rest of Liverpool,' Bobo said.

'What's there to explore?' I asked.

'Trust me, you'll understand soon enough,' he answered. The next thing we did is we took a Beatles tour of the city. A couple of days later, we arrived back at Providence Headquarters, White Knight appears on the screen and he isn't impressed. 'You're supposed to report back after you cleaned up Liverpool and London,' he said.

'Just because we finished early, doesn't mean we have come back and do nothing. Besides, I haven't been to England before, so we took in the sights and we had a good time,' I said.

'That's not the point here; you're supposed to follow orders. Look, you have to forgive for being under pressure. I spoke to the Board about your recent actions,' he said.

'What actions?' I asked.

'For instance, during your recent trip to London. You threw an EVO into Buckingham Palace, I wouldn't exactly call that subtle,' he said.

'It hit me first, so I hit back,' I said.

'And there's the incident where an EVO attacked the Bangkok Hilton,' he said.

'I took care of that EVO and stay behind to round up the escaped convicts,' I said.

'That's true, so we did some serious thinking and we came to a decision. You're on suspension until further notice,' he said.

'Suspension, come on,' I said.

The screen then switches off; I was in Dr. Holiday's lab a few minutes later, mumbling the fact that I got suspended. 'I find it hard to believe that White Knight suspended you. You should consider yourself lucky,' she said.

'Lucky, how does a suspension bring me luck?' I asked.

'It gives you time to think about your actions and what needs to be improved.' Edwin the mailman arrives. Like me, he's too an EVO, incurable, deformed and he still has his humanity. 'Ah, morning Edwin,' she said.

'Good morning, Doctor. How are you today?' he asked.

'I'm fine, put today's mail by the desk,' she ordered.

'Yes Doctor,' Edwin said.

He puts Dr. Holiday's mail on the desk. I picked a magazine that's addressed to her and I looked at her oddly. 'What, a woman has got to keep with her beauty secrets,' Doc Holiday answered.

'Right,' I said sarcastically.

Edwin digs deep into the basket and picks up a package. 'And this for you, Rex,' he said.

'What a minute, you don't get mail,' Dr. Holiday said.

'Maybe it's fan mail,' I said.

'Yeah right,' she said.

Edwin gives me the package and he leaves the lab. I found out that the package is addressed to me and I opened the package to find a CD inside. I wasn't impressed. 'That's it, a CD. I was hoping for a love letter or some cookies,' I said.

'Maybe the message is on the CD. Play it and see what they have to say,' she said.

I insert the disc into the drive, found the audio file and I played it. 'My name is Dr. Vladimir Kazan and I need your help, Rex. Days ago, I became trapped in my laboratory outside Cape Town in South Africa. There wasn't anyone else inside the lab at the time of the incident, but I'd your help if I'm going to survive. In return, I'll tell you everything you need to know about nanite event and maybe some fragments of your past,' the message said.

'Okay, so much for fan mail,' I said.

'I know the name; Dr. Kazan is an expert on genetics before the nanite event.' Doc Holiday then brings his profile on the screen. 'The science community hasn't heard from him in six years since the event occurred,' she said.

'Maybe we caught a lucky break,' I said.

'I doubt that, also why did he sent the CD to you? This doesn't make any sense. Even though you're under suspension, but that doesn't stop you from visiting our Providence branch over in South Africa. I'll contact Kieran to let him know you're coming,' she said. I got onboard a Providence ship bound for Cape Town. After a long flight, I arrived at the base and I met up with Doc Holiday's contact, Kieran.

'Welcome to South Africa, Rex. We have a lot to discuss.' We head into the debriefing room. 'What brings you to Cape Town?' Kieran asked.

'A man name Dr. Vladimir Kazan sent me a CD with an audio message. Saying that he needed help after an incident in his lab,' I answered.

'We heard of him, he hasn't been seen for six years. After the nanite event, the police reported Kazan as missing. Initially things were promising in the search for him, but they gave up after their leads went dead,' Kieran said.

'No surprises there, I was wondering if you knew where he is now,' I said.

'Even our top Providence agents have difficulty finding him. According to our Intel, he and his lab are based just outside of Cape Town. He also known to frequent at the Red Cliff bar, which is located north in Cape Town,' he said.

'I'll start there,' I said.

'One other thing, Dr. Kazan wasn't working alone. He had a colleague, Dr. Yoshiro who too went missing after the nanite event. We'll be grateful if you can find both of them,' he said.

'Thanks for the tip,' I said. I left the base and began my search for Dr. Kazan and Dr. Yoshiro. I head over to the Red Cliff bar Kieran recommended. I walked up to the bar and the bartended looks at me.

'Aren't you a too young to be at this bar?' the bartender asked.

'I'm not looking for trouble. I'm looking for two scientists, Dr. Kazan and Dr. Yoshiro,' I answered.

'You're the first person in six years to ask me about those two. Yeah I knew them, they regular frequented this bar. They often sat in one of the private lounges and discussed the day's findings and so on. But I don't pay much attention to that scientific stuff,' he said.

'It looks like we agree on something. Before they disappeared, did they discussed or acted suspicious?' I asked.

'Now you mention it, Dr. Yoshiro was concerned about something. It relates to a sister project they had in Europe and a rumour that one of their scientists could go rogue if he ever crossed the line again,' he answered.

That sounds like Van Kleiss alright or is it, I'm not too sure if it's him. 'Thanks for the information. Listen, I don't suppose you know where they worked?' I asked.

'They kept that to themselves, but you might want to ask Dr. Yoshiro's son, Sasuke. He's runs a junkyard just outside the city,' he answered. The bartender then gives me directions to the junkyard that Sasuke is running. I ride over to the junkyard to find Sasuke operating a magnetic crane, he turns it off and comes to down greet me, sort of.

'I don't know who you are or why are you here. But I want you out of my yard,' he said.

'You must be Sasuke, the Red Cliff bartender told me where you were,' I said.

'Yeah, he likes to talk to people. Is there a reason why you're here or can I get back to work?' he asked.

'I'm looking for your father,' I answered.

'You're the first person to mention my father in six years. Who put you up to it?' he asked.

'I got a distress message from his colleague, Dr. Vladimir Kazan,' I answered.

I noticed that Sasuke is worried by what I just said as he turns around for a moment and thinks. 'I know where the lab, but there's one problem,' he said.

'And that would be?' I asked.

'It's got a barrier around it to prevent individuals with active nanite cells from getting in or out. It doesn't affect those with dormant nanite cells,' he answered.

'Thanks, which way to the lab?' I asked.

'Head northeast outside the city, look for a massive pyramid like complex. You can't miss it, but be careful of the barrier,' he answered. I left the city and headed northeast and began looking for a pyramid like complex. It took a while to find it and it was massive.

'Now that's a laboratory.' I then noticed a huge storm brewing in the sky, as the thunder roared when the lightning struck the lab. It revealed an invisible barrier that Sasuke warned me about. 'That must the barrier Sasuke warned me about.' I walked up to the barrier, touched it and hurt myself after an electrical shock scourged through my body. I began to make my through the barrier, the electrical shocks became more intense and painful. I made it through, knowing my body is hurting after being exposed to the electrical shocks. I passed out on the ground and slip into a coma.

Six hours have passed since I fell into the coma; I then felt a warm hand touching my right hand. I woke up to find an attractive teenage girl, lying right next to me. 'Okay, what just happened?' I wondered.

She then begins wake up. 'Your guess is as good as mine, Rex,' she said.

I'm complete shock as she knew who I am. 'Do I know you?' I asked.

'Boy, I suddenly know a lot about you. Although I don't exactly, approve of the things you do,' the mysterious girl said.

'You haven't exactly answered my question, who are you and how do you know my name?' I asked.

'Please, I knew you since you were exposed to the nanites. As for who am I, I don't have a name,' she answered.

'That makes things complicated.' I then noticed the weather is getting worse. 'We need to get to shelter before it starts raining,' I said.

She then notices the weather. 'I couldn't agree more,' she said. We both head inside the pyramid complex as it started raining. The place was dark and eerie when we arrived. Suddenly, the lights were switched on automatically.

_It's been years since I had guests_.

'Who said that?' I asked.

A black mist appears in front of us. _I apologise for not having a body, although I did at one time in my life_.

'I don't encounter sentient mists during my travels,' I said.

_That's because I'm no ordinary mist. Like you, I'm an EVO and I'm incurable, at least that's what I think_.

'Oh, that's charming,' she said.

'How do you know I'm an EVO?' I asked.

_I picked up your electromagnetic reading the moment you arrived. Unfortunately, I had to deal with an emergency in the basement_.

'That's explains a lot,' I said.

_You must be cold after getting caught in the rain. There's a shower just around the corner to your left_. _Once you're finished, meet me in the cafeteria, we have much to discuss_.

We head to the showers. It's been days since I took a nice warm shower. Half an hour later, we met up with the black mist in the cafeteria as we sat down at the table.

'Thanks for the showers. For an odd looking EVO, no offense, you would make a good dinner host,' I said.

_I take that as a complement. What brings you all way here_?

'I got audio CD with a distress message from Dr. Vladimir Kazan,' I answered.

_So you finally got my message after all_.

'Wait, you're Dr. Vladimir Kazan?' I asked.

_I am or was until the nanite event changed me. I owe you some answers, I'm Dr. Vladimir Kazan, I'm a expert on genetics and I hold degree on that subject from Cambridge_.

'Great, just whatI need, an egghead,' I said.

'Show some respect Rex. We should be grateful to him for letting us in,' she said.

'I hate to change the subject. But I don't who you are or how is it that you know so much about me? Do you even have a name?' I asked.

'Now you mention it, I don't have a name. My creators referred to me as "it" or "the miracle",' she said.

'I'll give you a name. Casey, Lucy, Harley, Hope,' I said.

She then stops me in mid-sentence. 'I like that last name, Hope. You can call me Hope,' she said.

'If you say so, Hope,' I said.

The lights all the sudden began blinking. _I knew this wouldn't last long. If you excuse me, I need to head into the basement, so I can reconfigure the power generators_. Dr. Kazan then vanishes to the basement.

'While he's down there, we need to talk,' I said.

'Talk about what?' Hope asked.

'Like how do you know me and where you came from?' I asked.

'The answer is obvious or haven't you figured it out yet,' she answered.

'Come to think of it, I am feeling slightly different than usual.' I then figured out who she is. 'Oh no, you're not my nanites, are you?' I asked.

'Bingo, I'm a full human/nanite hybrid,' she answered.

'Excuse me, while I faint,' I said.

I then fainted onto the ground. 'Typical,' she said.

I regain conscience a few minutes later, got up and Dr. Kazan was standing beside Hoop. 'What just happened?' I asked.

_You went into shock after finding out your friend is a human/nanite hybrid and you fainted_.

'That I remember,' I said.

_I've done an analysis of Hope's blood and was able to confirm that she is a human/nanite hybrid_.

'How is that possible?' I asked.

_There's one possible explanation, when you walked through the barrier. The electrical shocks you absorbed must've caused the nanites to separate from your body and may've formed the very being we see around us right now_.

'Figures, how did it get hold of a DNA sample?' I asked.

_Since this is a lab after all, the nanites may've gained a sample somewhere within this site_.

'I guess that makes sense, Doctor,' she said.

_Indeed it does, I'm going to turn in for the night. Feel free to explore to rest of the lab, oh and do stay away from Level 13, it's off limits_.

'Will do,' I said. Dr. Kazan then vanishes to his quarters.

'I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about exploring Level 13, are you?' she asked.

'Before I say or do anything. I like to take back all the nasty comments I made about you in the past,' I said.

'You're forgiven, for now,' she said.

'So, how much do you know about me, besides my name and all?' I said.

'I notice you tend to have a fascination over tacos, pizzas and motorcycles. That and your constant attempts to ask Dr. Holiday out on a date,' she answered.

'Well, she's different from all the girls I met,' I said.

'Other girls, you mean like Circe or Annie. You're taste in women is more macabre than your ego,' she said.

I took offense to that remark. 'That's uncalled for, okay so I made a lot of bad choices when it comes to girls and women. Circe was okay, but she works for Van Kleiss. And Annie, it's like dating death on two legs,' I said.

'Listen, maybe you're right. What I just said was uncalled for, I'm still getting used to being a human. Is it always like this, dealing with emotions every day of the week?' she asked.

'All the time, on some days even if it's a bad day, you just want to mope and cry about it. On a good day, it's all about laughter, sunshine and bunnies,' I answered.

'That's the one thing I like about you, Rex. Your sense of denial, denying what is and what isn't,' Hope said.

'It's clear that we got a lot in common. Kazan, is there a library in the building?' I yelled.

_Head out of the cafeteria and turn left. You should see a sign_!

'Come on, I'm going to teach you what it means to be human,' I said. We both left the cafeteria and head over to the library. The room is huge, full of books and texts dating back to the 1940s. I taught Hope every about the world, its history and what it means to be human.

Back at the Providence base, Dr. Holiday and Bobo arrived at the base and were greeted by Kieran. 'Thank you for coming on short notice,' he said.

'Believe me, Kieran. I rather be here than in a lab,' Dr. Holiday said.

'We got a problem, Rex hasn't checked in the last eight hours,' he said.

'As if, Rex doesn't check in, he just does his own thing and be on his way,' Bobo said.

'Easy for you to say, chimp,' he said.

'Watch it or you'll see what an angry chimp can do,' Bobo said.

'Enough, this isn't getting us anyway. What've we got?' she asked.

They then walked to a giant monitor. 'Surveillance footage shows Rex entering the Red Cliff bar. He asks the bartender a few questions and leaves the bar.' Kieran then uploads another surveillance footage image. 'We then pick up his trail again over a junkyard. We did a facial scan on the owner and we got a match. Sasuke Yoshiro, Dr. Akira Yoshiro's son, who worked with Dr. Vladimir Kazan before their disappearances after the nanite event,' Kieran said.

'You don't think this a coincidence, do you?' Dr. Holiday asked.

'In my line of work, there's no such thing as coincidence. Once he left the junkyard, he left the city and that's where the trail went cold,' he said.

'We better find him before he does something drastic,' she said.

'I know, that's why I summoned you and the chimp,' he said.

'For the record, I'm an ape, not a chimp. Why won't anyone get the memo?' Bobo wondered.

Back at the lab, I was in the library, talking to Hope, trying to explain what powers. I show my sword, fists and the cannon.

'Well, it is impressive, I'll give that much,' Hope said.

'So you do like my powers. Since you're a human/nanite hybrid, you must have powers of your own.' She then activates her powers, which are similar to mine. 'Okay, we both share the same powers, go figure,' I said.

'I'm tired now, I'm going to sleep,' she yawned.

I think the quarters are on the top floor.' She then heads up that way, while I explored the place. I made my way into Dr. Kazan's office and I picked a framed photograph of two people shaking hands. 'I wonder who those two are,' I wondered.

Dr. Kazan appears besides me. _The fellow on the left, the bald one with the long hair is me. The fellow on right was my colleague, Dr. Akira Yoshiro_.

I then put the picture down. 'So this is your office?' I asked.

_Was, until my body mutated me into a EVO_.

'There're some questions I never got to ask,' I said.

_I do my best to answer some of them_.

'First, why did you send me the CD? You could've sent it to White Knight or any member of Providence?' I asked.

_When I read of your abilities to talk with machinery, I realised that your powers could be to shutting down the barrier you walked through_.

'That seems logical. Out of curiosity, what was the purpose of this lab?' I asked.

_I and Dr. Yoshiro were investigating an unusual genetic anomaly. This affects at least a small portion of the world's population. Even the nature and the purpose of the anomaly were kept classified for our safety and the public interest_.

'Who put up to researching this anomaly?' I asked.

_The U.S. government, but Akira had suspicions about the project and their motives_.

'So what happened to Akira?' I asked.

_Before the nanite event, he was murdered, probably by some drunk lunatic. When the event came, I managed to evacuate all my staff, except for me. And this is the result, mutated to some black gas full of nanites_.

'And where does the barrier come in?' I asked.

_It was activated after the event, to prevent active nanites from getting in or out. Think of it as a decontamination system to prevent stray viruses from getting loose_.

'Now that's a good defence system. So, was the nanite project related to what you're doing?' I asked.

_Sort of, but the details of what they were doing or the purpose of the nanite project was classified. Even I didn't know what they were doing, Akira had doubts and suspicions about the project altogether_.

'So what do you want me to do?' I asked.

_The barrier itself uses some kind of cryptology to keep active nanite cells in. Whoever created the barrier must've gained access to nanite programming code_.

'In other words, we're dealing with an expert programmer and computer scientist,' I said.

_Come to think of it, Akira was a computer scientist and skilled programmer. So was his son, Sasuke_.

'You know Sasuke. I met him yesterday at the junkyard. I don't how a programmer ended running a junkyard,' I yawned.

_You must be tired after all this talking. Why don't you get some sleep_?

I head up to the living quarters and get some shut eye. The next morning was different as Kieran, Dr. Holiday, Bobo and some Providence agents were in the debriefing room.

'Listen up, we got a new assignment. Rex went missing a day ago,' Kieran said.

'Come on, he'll turn up eventually,' a Providence agent said.

'The thing is, he's been missing for thirty six hours now. I count that as suspicious. According to our intel, he was last sighted at the Red Cliff bar and then made his way to a junkyard owned by Sasuke Yoshiro,' Kieran said.

'Isn't Sasuke the son of computer scientist Dr. Akira Yoshiro?' another Providence agent asked.

'He is, but we can't rule him out. He was the last person to see Rex before he disappeared. We'll split into teams, so we can search Cape Town more easily. I'll take Doc Holiday, Bobo and couple of agents with me. The second team will cover the southeast, while third and forth gets to choose either north or southwest. Move out,' he said.

They left the base as Dr. Holiday, Bobo, Kieran and a couple of Agents begin their search at the Red Cliff bar.

They enter the bar and walked up to the bartender. 'Is there something I can help you with?' the bartender asked.

'We're looking for a sixteen year old boy, wears goggles and a red jacket?' Kieran asked.

'Yeah, I saw him, asking about Dr. Kazan and Dr. Yoshiro. I told him to head over to the junkyard where Sasuke works,' he answered.

'Thanks for the info,' Kieran said. They left the bar and head over to the junkyard. A Providence agent picks an unusual energy reading.

'I'm picking a huge energy reading coming from the yard,' she said.

The automated defences then came up. 'I think I know why. Take cover!' Bobo yelled.

They took cover as the defences targeted the group and opened fire on them. 'Since when did a junkyard have an automated defence system?' Kieran asked.

'It looks like Sasuke is hiding something. Something that he doesn't want us to find out,' Dr. Holiday answered.

'Bobo, I'll cover you, while you go in and take out those turrets,' he said.

'You don't have to tell me twice,' Bobo said.

They provided cover fire, while Bobo takes out the turrets with his blasters. They entered the yard. Sasuke comes out of hiding. 'Come on, this our chance,' Kieran said.

They then entered the yard and proceeded on to the office. They entered the office to find Sasuke holding a gun and aiming it at them. 'Not exactly what I was expecting,' Bobo said.

'Put the gun down, Sasuke. No one wants to hurt you,' Dr. Holiday said.

'That's rich coming from an organisation that relies solely on putting others down,' he said.

'That was then, things are different now, put the gun down,' she demanded.

He then puts the gun on the desk. 'You have a valid point, but this doesn't change my opinion about Providence. What is it you want to know?' he asked.

'We're looking for a kid named Rex. He wears goggles and a red jacket, have you seen him?' Kieran asked.

'As a matter of fact, I have. Not long ago, I was hoping he would solve my problem,' he said.

'What problem?' Bobo asked.

'It's nothing really, nothing serious,' he answered.

'Uh-uh, how do you explain the automated defences and the gun you were holding?' Kieran asked.

'We know you're hiding something. If you don't tell us what it is, we'll be happy to resume our gunfight,' Bobo said.

'All right, I'll give up. I guess I owe you a lot an explanation. Outside the city, there's a lab or what's left of it. It's got a barrier I designed in place, to prevent persons with active nanite cells from getting in or out, it doesn't affect dormant cells,' I said.

'And you expect us to believe that?' Bobo asked.

Sasuke walks to his computer and brings a blueprint of the lab. 'See this massive circle surrounding the complex, that's the barrier,' he answered.

'Hmm, according to the blueprint, it's powered by an external power source,' Dr. Holiday said.

'That's because the barrier was put in place after the nanite event. It's meant to keep something in,' Sasuke said.

'Like what, an EVO?' Kieran asked.

'Yes and a dangerous one at that. His name is Dr. Vladimir Kazan,' he answered.

Dr. Holiday is shocked to hear this. 'What? You imprisoned your colleague, your friend inside the lab all this time.' She then punches him in the face. 'You're a sick person,' she said.

'There's another reason why I imprisoned him.' He gets a DVD out, inserts it into the disc drive and plays the footage. 'This was recorded ten minutes before the event,' Sasuke said.

'I want to talk to you about the test subjects we're using,' a man said on the footage.

'That man there is my father, Akira,' he said.

'Of course, I'm listening,' another man said.

'That must be Dr. Vladimir Kazan, am I right?' she asked.

Sasuke nodded yes. 'I discovered the mass graves the soldiers have been digging. What have you been doing, Vladimir?' he asked.

'What does it look like, experimenting on the subjects,' Vladimir answered.

'I heard screaming coming from the corridor. Oh gosh, you were experimenting on the subject where they were alive,' he asked.

'Please, it's all in the name of science,' Vladimir answered.

'You call that science? That was genocide you committed. When we first took on this project, we agreed that we aren't allowed to use live test subjects,' he said.

'So, there's a saying that in order to do good, we must commit evil deeds in order to do so,' Vladimir said.

'From now on, you're suspended.' The alarm then goes off and Akira reaches for his intercom. 'The alarms are going off, what is happening?' Akira asked.

'Sir, it's our sister branch. The nanite core there is going into critical. An overload is imminent, we have a least two minutes before the core... it's too late, the core has exploded and has triggered a pulse full of nanites,' a tech said.

'Evacuate the lab and destroy all data relating to this project, god knows what'll happen if this pulse hits this lab and not to mention if the public caught wind of this,' Akira said.

Vladimir then gets a gun out of his lab coat. 'I hate to be the first to say this, but this is where our partnership ends,' he said.

'Put the gun away, Vladimir. Please, I beg you,' Akira panicked.

'You should've said that a long time ago,' he said.

Vladimir pulls the trigger and murders Akira in cold blood and the footage end abruptly.

'He murdered Akira in cold blood. I'm so sorry, Sasuke,' Dr. Holiday said.

'So where's the rest of the footage?' Kieran said.

'The wave knocked out all the systems, including the security cameras. I was in the cafeteria at the time, taking a coffee break, going over the findings as usual. I managed to evacuate most of the staff, including myself. I came back a month later to inspect the collateral damage. That's when I found out about my father's murder and Vladimir's fate. I learned the truth about his murder and knew that Vladimir was too dangerous to be free,' he said.

'What kind of powers does Vladimir have?' she asked.

'He's no longer human, but a black mist. He has the ability to possess anyone he comes into contact with. The side effect is that he can't possess anyone with active nanite cells. I found that out when he tried to possess an EVO toad,' he answered.

'While those with dormant cells are vulnerable,' Kieran said.

'Exactly,' Sasuke said.

'Why didn't you come forward with this? The police file said you were in Costa Rica at the time of the incident,' he asked.

'That was a cover story so I can build the barrier and contain Vladimir,' Sasuke answered.

'Now the cat is out of the bag. We need to find Rex before Vladimir could exploit him,' Dr. Holiday said.

'Good idea.' Sasuke then get a huge glass looking jar out of the closet. 'It's a containment unit designed specifically to trap Vladimir. Also, you'll need weapons and equipments to prevent Vladimir possessing you. I already got that taken care,' he said.

'You suddenly came prepare?' Bobo asked.

'I knew this day would come. One other thing I need to know, how did Rex know about Kazan?' he asked.

'He received an audio CD with a distress message,' she answered.

'Figured as much, Vladimir sent the message as a ruse to lure Rex into connecting the external power source to the main computer system in order to deactivate the barrier. We don't have that much time left,' he said.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Long and Winding Road

At the lab, I was exploring the rest of the lab, except for Level 13; I then entered the control room to find Hope going through the wreckage.

'Oh, morning Rex,' she said.

'Hey Hope, what're you looking at?' I asked.

'Bits from the control room, last night, I've been having dreams. Dreams I've never seen or heard of,' she said.

'Oh yeah, do tell?' I asked.

'It was like I was in the middle of this fight at the United Nations building with a man wearing a gauntlet,' she answered.

'Those aren't dreams, those are my memories. Since you're my nanites, it's possible you may have some of my memories. Which explains why you know so much about me,' I said.

'That makes some sense, still I'm puzzled to why Dr. Kazan won't let us access Level 13,' she said.

'Maybe there was a breach and that he contained it,' I said.

'Maybe, but something doesn't feel right,' she said.

Dr. Kazan then appears in front of us. _I see that you two are awake. How're you feeling_?

'Much better, I spent most of last night thinking about how to shut down the barrier,' I said.

_Oh yes, that. I appreciate the help and I doubt there's nothing you can do about it_.

'There is, when I first walked through it, I noticed something floating above the roof of the lab,' I said.

_It's possible that could be the barrier's external power source. I see where this is going, if could connect the external power source to the lab's computers. You may have a shot at the shutting it down. To do that, we need to get the generators in the basement back to full power. This place has been running on emergency power for years_.

'I'll head to the basement and see what I can do with the generators. Try to stay in radio contact,' she said.

'You're sure about this?' I asked.

'We both share the same powers, duh,' she said.

'Okay, I'll fly up and see what I can with the external power source,' I said. We both head in opposite directors to deal with the barrier.

Back at the junkyard, Dr. Kieran, Sasuke and the other Providence gears up with their new weapons and equipment.

Bobo is not too happy that he isn't receiving the equipment. 'Ah, how come you lot get the fancy armour?' he asked.

'Since you got active nanite cells, Vladimir can't possess you.' Sasuke gives him improved blasters. 'These modified blasters should emit light particles powerful enough to weaken Vladimir,' he said.

'I assume you got a plan?' Kieran asked.

'Indeed, once the containment unit is activated. It deploys a stasis field, surrounding Vladimir and luring him into the unit,' Sasuke answered.

'That takes care of one problem. What about curing him?' Dr. Holiday asked.

'It wasn't easy, but I managed to find a way around it by storing these conductors inside the unit and they're connected to pressure pads which Rex can only use,' Sasuke answered.

'Well, that's nearly everything, what about the barrier?' Bobo asked.

'I'll open it up for a couple of minutes to allow us in,' he answered.

'Right then, let's move out,' Kieran yelled. They then left the yard, got into the transport and drove over to the lab.

Back at the lab, I used my powers to fly up to the external power source. 'Hope, I'm at the external power source. It looks like its using anti-gravity technology to keep itself floating,' I said.

'Okay, I'm in the basement with Vladimir. Be warned, once the power is restored, it'll trigger the automated defence system,' Hope said on the radio.

'Thanks for the heads up.' The external power source then activates its automated defence system. 'Uh-oh, it looks like the external power source has an automated defence system,' I said.

It then opened fire at me. 'We didn't see that coming. Keep it distracted long enough until the power is back online,' she said.

'That's easy for you to say.' I went for the attack and I was able to shut down the defence system. 'Okay, the external power source's defence system is down. But it's still emitting the barrier,' I said.

'All right, be prepared, I'm about to turn the power back on,' she said.

'Right then.' I then saw something in the distance. 'I see something in distance,' I said.

'It's probably an animal or something, get ready,' she said.

As it came close it was a Providence transport unit. 'Wait, it's Providence, they arrived,' I said.

'Here goes nothing.' That's when everything, the power came back on and so did the defence system. Suddenly, a small hole opened up in the barrier and the transport got through. The small hole then closed itself back up. The defences opened up fire on the transport unit. 'I'm heading back to the control room to shut down the defences,' she said.

'You better hurry, Providence is getting hammered down there,' I said.

'Will do,' she said.

I flew to the ground where the transport unit is and opened the door to let them out.

'Am I glad to see you,' Dr. Holiday said.

'We need to move before the defences hammer us,' I said.

'You don't have to tell us twice. Move it or lose it, people. Double time, now,' Kieran yelled.

I managed to get everyone out of the transport and begin to make our way to the lab. 'I hate to rush you, Hope. How's it going with shutting down the defences?' I asked.

'I'm in the control room now. I'm shutting down the defences now,' she said.

The defence system has shut down as we entered the lab. 'That was too close, are you okay, Hope?' I asked.

'I'm fine, but Dr. Kazan is nowhere to been seen. He said he was heading to the security drone room to shut down the drones,' she answered.

'All right, I'm meet you in the control room and I'm bringing friends,' I said.

'Okay, Dr. Kazan has come back and has possessed one of the drones. Oh no,' she said.

I heard screaming coming from the control room. 'We need to move,' Kieran said. We rushed over to the control room to find a possessed security drone holding Hope. They aimed their weapons at the drone. 'I must thank you both to taking care of the defence system,' it said.

'You haven't changed at all, Vladimir,' Sasuke said.

'Ah Sasuke, I knew you would come crawling back. Just like you done six years ago when you activated the barrier to keep me trapped here,' he said.

'I had no choice, it was the only way to prevent you from escaping,' he said.

'What're you talking about?' I asked.

'In case you didn't know, Dr. Kazan murdered Dr. Akira Yoshiro six years ago before the event,' Bobo said.

I was shocked to hear this as I got my sword out. 'Is this true?' I asked.

'Every word, a year ago, a tourist accidentally stumbled upon this place. I possessed her to get the CD I recorded shortly before my mutation. I influenced her to sent CD to you,' he said.

'Figured as much, what do you want?' Dr. Holiday asked.

'Safe passage out of here and for you to deactivate the barrier,' he said.

'Sorry, it's not going to happen,' Sasuke said.

'Pity, I was hoping it would end peacefully,' he said. The possessed drone left the room with Hope as his hostage. Three more security drones arrived and they started firing as us.

'You two, keep the drones busy while we go after the doctor. Have you got any ideas where they might be heading?' Kieran asked.

'My guess is that would be heading to Level 13,' Sasuke answered.

'I always wondered what's up there, let's move,' I said.

Two Providence agents stayed behind to deal with the security drones. While the rest of us head up to Level 13, we took the elevator up to Level 13. 'Be prepared for the worse,' Sasuke said.

We arrived at Level 13 to find a foul smell running through the level. We were shocked to find decomposing bodies on some of the operating tables and we begin to search the level for Vladimir and Hope. 'What happened?' a shocked Dr. Holiday asked.

'This is where the experiments took place,' Sasuke answered.

'The place where you were investigating an unusual genetic anomaly,' I said.

'Vladimir told you, didn't he? Not exactly my father's best work. We were hired by the U.S. government to investigate an unusual genetic anomaly,' he said.

'What kind of anomaly was it?' she asked.

'At first, there was nothing unusual about it, until we examined it further. We discovered that the anomaly was in fact damaged DNA. Not just damaged DNA, but it was mutated,' he answered.

'Mutated, how is that possible?' Bobo asked.

'That's what the politicians have been asking themselves for the last fifty years,' he answered.

'You mean to tell that this mutated DNA dates to the 1960s?' she asked.

'Yes. During the first months of the project, we made little progress. That was until a colleague came with an idea that would change everything. He suggested that we should blood tests to confirm who the child's parents were. We discovered something very interesting. It turns out that the subjects all contain half human DNA, while the other half is of a unknown origin and it varies between subjects,' he answered.

Kieran picked a deceased patient's chart. 'According to this, the subject's DNA is half human and half unknown. Also, the subject possessed some telekinetic ability. And the subject wasn't an EVO,' he said.

He then puts the chart down. 'Like my father, I too had suspicions about the project. Most of which was the question about whether the U.S. government was withholding information from us,' Sasuke said.

'Why not just quit if you and your dad had suspicions?' I asked.

'I did consider the thought, but we were reminded what would happen if we left the project,' he answered.

'What would've happened if you left the project?' Kieran said.

'We could face trial and they would charge us with treason if we left. That didn't leave us with a lot of options,' he answered.

'That and they would make sure that anyone who left the project gets the death penalty,' Vladimir said.

We managed to catch up to them. 'Let her go, Doc. This could end one way or the other,' I said.

'You're right,' he said.

He gets a blaster out and shoots a piece of Dr. Holiday's armour. 'That can't be good,' Sasuke said.

'Finally, fresh meat,' he said.

Vladimir leaves the drone and possesses Dr. Holiday, her eye pupils and colour change. 'It's been a year since I possessed a human being,' she said.

'Get out of her, now!' I yelled.

Hope then runs up to me. 'Love to, but not until you deactivate the barrier and provide me safe passage out of Africa,' she said.

'Not going to happen,' Sasuke said.

I then summoned the cannon and out at aim at a possessed Dr. Holiday. 'You think going to shoot me will solve your dilemma. Let me tell you something kid, I killed dozens in the name of science, fear me,' she said.

'So, I defeated and cured a thousand EVOs, fear me. Now you mention it, I have killed someone before,' I said.

I then stand down and deactivated the cannon. 'You did what?' Hope asked.

'It was a year ago, hey Bobo, remember the time when we visited the children's ward over at San Diego?' I asked.

'Yeah I remember and I got the scars to prove it,' he said.

'I took a break from entertaining the kids. I entered the main ward and that's where I met him. He was an EVO who was dying from cancer. He told me his life story, he was a war hero who earned a medal fighting in the Vietnam War. He told me how every kill he made during the conflict haunted him during the rest of his life. And that's where he asked me to do, to put him out of his misery. At first, I didn't want to do it, given that I wanted to preserve life, not to destroy it. He told me not to worry and that everything will be all right. I had a hard choice, accept the request or decline it,' I said.

'What happened?' Hope asked.

'I did it, I killed him, put him out of his misery. Since then, it haunted me every time when I close my eyes. I wanted to cry about, but I can't and I ask myself, is this normal not to cry after ending a man's life,' I said.

I noticed that the possessed Dr. Holiday is shedding tears after hearing the revelation. Dr. Kazan then leaves her body.

_I don't know how you did it, but you haven't impressed me. You forced my hand_.

He then flees the scene. 'You better go after him. It'll set up the containment unit,' Sasuke said.

'I'll keep Dr. Holiday company,' Kieran said.

'That leaves you, me and the hottie. Speaking of that, where did you meet her,' Bobo asked.

'It's complicated, come on,' I answered.

We pursued Vladimir to another part of the lab. The lights came on when we entered the room. 'Where are we?' Hope wondered.

_Besides being a genetics lab, it was a good place to pursue other opportunities_.

'Such as,' I asked.

_Weapons testing and discovering whether the anomaly had the potential to become a weapon of mass destruction. We experimented a bit and what I'm about to unleash and possess is a result of that research_.

A huge door then opened and we see a huge creature standing there, lifeless. Vladimir then possessed it and it came to life. 'It just came to life,' Bobo said.

'Yep.' We got out of the way just as it attacked us. 'Now, it's attacking us,' I said.

'I'll cover you while go in for the attack,' he said.

Bobo provided cover fire, while I and Hope summoned our mechanical fists and attacked the creature.

'Bobo, come in,' Sasuke said on the radio.

'We're a little busy in the weapons lab,' he said.

'We nearly got the containment unit set. You lot need to find a way to get Vladimir back to Level 13 so we can spring the trap,' he said.

'Acknowledged, hey, if you two done beating the crud out of thing. We need to head back to Level 13,' he said.

'What, giving up already,' I said.

'Yeah well, we need to move now and bring him with us,' he said.

We head back to Level 13 and the creature pursued us. We reached Level 13 just and the creature managed to catch up to us. It was exhausted and collapsed onto ground as Vladimir left its body.

_So much for the creature. I got you lot cornered, is there anything you want want say before I kill you_.

'Just one, duck,' Bobo said.

We ducked just Sasuke activates the containment unit and the stasis field. Vladimir then gets trapped in the stasis field and it sucked into the unit. _What gives, what've you done, Sasuke_.

'Something I should've done a long time ago and that is bringing you to justice to answer for your crimes,' he said.

_Let me out, I want out_.

'To cure him, you must place your hand on the pressure pad,'

'Precision curing, it's something unheard of, but I might give it try,' I said.

I placed my hand on the pressure and I gave it all as I tried to cure him. I became exhausted after a couple of minutes. _Even you don't have the power to cure me_.

'He may not, but together we can,' Hope said.

'Are you sure you're up to this? Who knows what'll happen,' I said.

'It's either that or let him stay EVO for an eternity. I never gave up on you the moment we met,' Hope said.

'All right then, let's do it,' I said. We both place our hands on the pressure pads and gave it our all as we were able to cure Vladimir. The containment unit exploded as he changes back to his human form.

'No, no, this is impossible, I'm cured,' he said.

Kieran stands beside him as he puts handcuffs on him. 'Uh-uh, that what I said when I first heard about,' he said.

'I'm deactivating the barrier, given that there's no need for it. I can't thank you enough for bringing Vladimir to justice,' Sasuke said.

'Hey, for a junkyard owner, you sure know a lot about science,' I said.

'Indeed, let's celebrate,' he said.

We left the lab with Vladimir in custody, while I carried Hope. As we were about to leave the lab and head outside, a sniper from nowhere opened fire on Sasuke and assassinated him.

'Stand down or do I have to turn this situation into an international incident.' A mysterious man walks up to us. 'Col. Eli Jamieson Moss, head of the Special Projects branch for the C.I.A,' he said.

'Was that necessary, you just assassinated Sasuke in cold blood,' Dr. Holiday said.

'He knew too much and was deemed a liability, Dr. Holiday,' he said.

'But he helped capture Vladimir. Without him, he could've walked free right now,' I said.

'Don't you think I already know that, kid? We've been investigating Vladimir shortly before the event. And the evidence the late Dr. Yoshiro gave was damning enough for a conviction. Now hand over the good doctor or don't make me order my sniper take a shot at you,' he ordered.

'Fine, we'll play ball,' Kieran said.

He then hands Vladimir over to Col. Moss. 'No harm done, oh and do give White Knight my regards,' he said. They left with Vladimir in custody and took Sasuke's body with them.

'One other thing, this place feels exposed,' she said.

'I already got that covered. You might want to get away as fast as possible from this place in the next five minutes,' he said. After we left the place, a couple of jet bombed the lab to kingdom come. Sometime later, we returned to the base as Dr. Holiday examines Hope.

Six arrives at the base. 'Sorry I couldn't be there, I was on a prisoner transport assignment in Canada,' he said.

'There wasn't much going on, but I'm more curious about what Hope is,' she said.

Six then notices her. 'Who is she?' he asked.

'More like what is she, she's a full human/nanite hybrid,' she said.

'How is that possible?' he asked.

'Even I couldn't figure it out, but her fate looks grim. She doesn't have that much time left.' I entered the lab. 'How did it go with White Knight?' she asked.

'He gave me a real earful for going to South Africa while suspended. But he removed the suspension and he's going to have some words with Col. Moss. How Hope doing?' I asked.

'I'm afraid I got some bad news. She's dying,' she answered.

'What, she was healthy sometime ago,' I said.

'Yes, but when you two cured Vladimir, she used up most of her nanites just to restore him back to his human self,' she said.

I panicked. 'We'll find a way to reverse this,' I said.

'It's not simple, her existence and her creation from your nanites is unheard of and maybe a rare phenomenon,' Dr. Holiday said.

I begin to cry and grabbed her. 'Do have you any idea what it's like to be the only one to communicate with machinery and cure EVOs? Every time when I touch an EVO to cure it, I see their memories, their childhoods and all the things that they cherish and make them unique. After that, I begin to cry, wondering what it's like to be in their shoes to experience a thing like they been through, not the EVO bit, but the memories,' I cried.

I let go of her. 'Rex, I didn't know you felt this way and I want to say thank you for telling him about the incident at the hospital. Not many people would want to put someone out of their misery, at least you made the right choice,' she said.

Hope then gets up and gets off the operating table. 'How much time do I have left?' she asked.

'A few hours, maybe less. If I were you, I better make the most of it,' Dr. Holiday answered.

'Listen to me Rex, I knew from the beginning that my existence would be short lived. Like she said, I better make the most of it,' she said.

We both left the base and had ourselves a good time. We explored Cape Town, pummelled some EVOs along the way and showed Hope how to have a good time. A few hours later, we sat under a tree to watch the sun set.

'Wow, I haven't had this much fun in ages,' I said.

'That's easy for you to say, I'm still new to this.' We both noticed the sunset. 'Is the sun sets always this beautiful?' she asked.

'Every time, but every sunset is different. It's like watching a day end, while a new one is about rise sometime soon,' I answered.

'I want to say thank you for being there for me and for showing a good time,' she said.

'It's like what I said back at the lab, we both have a lot in common, besides sharing the same powers,' I said.

'I guess that's true. When I slept for the first, besides dreaming of your memories. I also dreamt we were in a park, having a picnic and watching the sun all day. Do you ever have dreams like that?' she asked.

'Not exactly, all I dream about is fragments from my past and number of fights I been through,' I answered.

'Oh I see.' She then notices that she's beginning to phase in and out. 'My time is up, there's something I wanted to do since we first met,' she said.

'Oh yeah, what's that?' I asked.

She gave me a surprise kiss on the lips. 'Goodbye,' she said. She then turned into ash and disappeared. I shed some tears after she died. I headed back to the base and I went into the guest quarters. Dr. Holiday stops by and slips a business card underneath the door. I picked it up to read that it's the phone number of a psychiatrist. I put the business card down sleep.

Meanwhile, White Knight contacts Col. Moss. 'Now this is a surprise, Knight. You ringing my office, what can I do for you?' Eli asked.

'You can start by telling me why my agents spotted you and your Special Projects branch outside the lab?' he asked.

'The lab contained a lot of classified information. I can't let you or Van Kleiss have it, it would upset the balance of things,' Eli answered.

'What about Sasuke's assassination, that seems hardly just,' I said.

'He knew too much and was posed as a threat to national security. So we had to balance the books on that one,' Eli said.

'I thought we have a deal,' White Knight said.

'We still do, you need me for these files relating to nanite project. While you provide this world its best hope to solve the EVO problem. However, anything relating to its sister projects stays classified until further notice,' he said.

'If I found out your withholding information, I will come after you,' he said.

'Sorry, but I still hold all the cards, have a nice evening,' Eli said.

He then hung up on Knight and he makes another phone call to a Providence agent. 'White Knight, I was wondering when I was going to get another call from you,' she said.

'Are you in the middle of something Crimson Queen?' he asked.

'Nah, I'm in Tokyo, doing some window shopping,' she answered.

'I got a new assignment for you,' he offered.

'I'm listening,' she said.

'Its long term and it may involve some infiltration and undercover work,' he said.

'Keep talking,' she said.

'I want you to investigate Col. Eli Jamieson Moss. I got a stark feeling that he may be withholding some information that is critical to solving the EVO problem,' he said.

'Where do you want me to start?' she asked.

'Try a junkyard in Cape Town, South Africa. There's an office there that may contain some leads,' he answered.

'No problem, I'll book the first flight there and see what I can find,' she said. She then hangs up on White Knight. Three months later, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Baltimore, having a drink and that's where I encounter Hope again.

'Hey Hope, I was wondering when I get to meet you again,' I said.

'I was in area; I see that you're doing well. What brings you all the way to Baltimore?' she asked.

'I'm on an assignment, tracking down a former associate of Quarry's. A bank accountant named Idris Bell,' I answered.

'I see, I'm glad you're doing okay,' she said.

'The last three months have been hard. You were the only person who ever knew and understand how I felt,' I said.

'I feel the same way, Rex. I wish I could've lived a bit longer, to tell you how much you meant to me,' she said.

'Same here, what you did in that lab wasn't your fault or mine. We both did what we have to,' I said.

'I guess you're right, still it was worth it to see justice served for what Vladimir committed,' she said.

'Well.' I then raised a mug. 'Here's to you,' I said.

I then put the mug down. 'I better get going, see you on the other side,' she said. She left the coffee shop and I realised that it was all just a daydream. Even though she's gone, but at least she's still a part of me, which brings a smile to my face.

'Rex, come in, do you read?' Six asked over the radio.

'I read you loud and clear,' I answered.

'Idris has been spotted and is on the run. He's heading northeast and I and Bobo are in pursuit,' Six said.

'Okay, I'm heading to your location to intercept Idris,' I said. I left the shop, transformed my legs into a hover cycle and headed northeast. At least I now know that Hope is doing okay, which is good.


End file.
